College Football Teams Best Represented at 2016 NFL Draft

So much goes into college football recruiting, when in reality the process could be so much simpler. Just open the school's media guide, turn to the page that lists all of the NFL draft picks that have played there, say "you could be next" and then wait for the commitment.

It shouldn't be a surprise that the college teams who recruit the best also happen to be the ones that have their names mentioned most often during the NFL draft. While it's not a given that a top high school or junior college prospect will end up getting to the pros, the schools that land those top recruits also tend to be the best at developing players of any talent level into NFL prospects.

This year is no different. When the 2016 NFL draft begins on Thursday, a handful of schools will be far more well-represented than any other. They have the most players listed on Bleacher Report NFL draft expert Matt Miller's big board and figure to make up a large chunk of those selected during the seven rounds.

Honorable Mentions

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

The 2015 NFL draft saw 18 different schools have at least five players drafted, a number that could be challenged this weekend. The schools listed below should end up with several draftees, though not enough to challenge for most players selected.

• Arkansas
• Auburn
• Baylor
• Florida State
• Michigan State
• Mississippi State
• Oklahoma
• Ole Miss
• Oregon
• Penn State
• Stanford
• West Virginia
• Utah

Alabama Crimson Tide

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Potential draft picks: 8-10

Likely first-round picks: 2-4

First off the board (projected): C Ryan Kelly

Alabama's latest national championship team was stocked with players who will end up performing on Sundays in the future, though not as much in 2016 as it could have been. Prospects such as defensive end Jonathan Allen and tight end O.J. Howard opted to return to college for their senior years, which will make the Crimson Tide's 2017 draft haul another strong one.

The Tide have had at least seven players drafted in five of the previous six years, with eight apiece from 2012-14. That number could be broken this year, depending on whether players like defensive linemen Darren Lake and D.J. Pettway and quarterback Jake Coker get taken.

Wide receiver Amari Cooper was Alabama's only first-round pick last spring, but as many as four could get chosen on Thursday. Kelly, linebacker Reggie Ragland and defensive linemen Jarran Reed and A'Shawn Robinson are likely to come off the board early, while Heisman-winning running back Derrick Henry, offensive lineman Dominick Jackson and cornerback Cyrus Jones all figure to have their names called between Thursday and Saturday.

Clemson Tigers

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Potential draft picks: 7-9

Likely first-round picks: 3-4

First off the board (projected): DE Shaq Lawson

The rise of Clemson under head coach Dabo Swinney has produced five straight 10-win seasons, culminating in last year's run to the national title game. Those previous four Tigers teams ended up having a combined 18 players drafted, with five each in 2014 and 2015, and in 2011 they had a school-record six picks.

Records are meant to be broken, and while Clemson wasn't able to become the first FBS school to win 15 games in a season, it is in line to have its best draft performance ever. Not just overall, but also from a first-round perspective.

Four Tigers have gone in the first round in the previous three drafts, including two (Stephone Anthony and Vic Beasley) last year, and that number could be doubled this time around. Lawson and defensive lineman Kevin Dodd are the best bets, while defensive backs Mackensie Alexander and T.J. Green should be in play for first-round consideration depending on the direction that teams at the bottom end of the first round decide to go.

Clemson's defense will dominate its picks, with lineman D.J. Reader, linebacker B.J. Goodson and safety Jayron Kearse also likely to get chosen, while wide receiver Charone Peake could be the only Tigers offensive selection.

Florida Gators

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Potential draft picks: 7-9

Likely first-round picks: 1-2

First off the board (projected): CB Vernon Hargreaves III

As surprising as it was for Florida to win the SEC East Division in coach Jim McElwain's first season, it wasn't like he was doing it without NFL-caliber talent. That will further come to light this weekend, when the Gators should produce another strong draft crop.

Whether any of them will become stars or not remains to be seen. Same goes for whether any of the Gators who could go in the first round, such as Hargreaves and safety Keanu Neal, will end up getting classified as "busts" some time down the line.

According to USA Today's Steven Ruiz, Florida has the highest rate of first-round picks that don't pan out with eight of its 15 between 2000-14 getting labeled (at least by that publication) as a bust.

Florida had eight players drafted off Will Muschamp's final team, and some of those up for selection this weekend are also his former players, including defensive linemen Jonathan Bullard and Alex McCalister, receiver Demarcus Robinson, running back Kelvin Taylor, tight end Jake McGee, cornerback Brian Poole and linebacker Antonio Morrison.

Georgia Bulldogs

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Potential draft picks: 7-9

Likely first-round picks: 1

First off the board (projected): EDGE Leonard Floyd

Georgia might never break any draft records, but you can't fault its consistency for producing NFL-level talent. The Bulldogs have had 54 players drafted in the past decade, including eight in 2013 and five last year, but one place where it hasn't had a constant presence is in the first round.

The last time the Bulldogs had consecutive years with first-round picks was 2004-05, the last of five straight seasons having someone taken that early. That figures to change on Thursday, as Floyd is projected by Miller as the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants.

That's the same spot in 2015 where running back Todd Gurley went to the St. Louis Rams, becoming the first rusher to go in the first round since 2012.

As many as three Georgia skill-position players could get taken this weekend, with running back Keith Marshall and receiver Malcolm Mitchell certain to get picked, while fullback Quayvon Hicks is considered the fourth-best player at that niche position.

Also likely to get taken: offensive lineman John Theus, defensive linemen Sterling Bailey and Chris Mayes, edge-rusher Jordan Jenkins and possibly linebacker Jake Ganus.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Associated Press

Potential draft picks: 6-8

Likely first-round picks: 2-3

First off the board (projected): OT Ronnie Stanley

Had the Jacksonville Jaguars not used their final pick on tight end Ben Koyack in last year's seventh round, Notre Dame would have been shut out of the NFL draft for the first time since 1977 (when its only selection happened in the supplemental draft). That poor draft showing was more due to the lack of eligible players than their talent level, as the Fighting Irish returned nearly every starter in 2015.

And now come the fruits of that stability, with six Notre Dame players listed in Miller's Top 100. That includes at least one surefire first-round pick (Stanley) and possibly a few more, as wide receiver Will Fuller might be worthy of a Thursday selection as might be linebacker Jaylon Smith if someone wants to take a flier on the injured star.

Smith's draft destination is quite uncertain, Miller wrote:

"

Jaylon Smith would have been the No. 1 player on my board before the knee injury he suffered in the Fiesta Bowl. ... I've asked every contact I have where Smith should come off the board, and no one has offered a straight answer. My best guess? Round 3 in the latter half of the round where a more stable franchise can invest in his future.

"

Also figuring to go in the first few rounds are cornerback KeiVarae Russell, running back C.J. Prosise, center Nick Martin and defensive lineman Sheldon Day, while edge-rusher Romeo Okwara, receiver Chris Brown and safety Elijah Shumate will also get considered.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

Potential draft picks: 12-15

Likely first-round picks: 4-6

First off the board (projected): DE Joey Bosa or RB Ezekiel Elliott

Ohio State has already set one unofficial NFL draft record this spring. Will more be in store?

According to NFL.com, the five Buckeyes who have been invited to attend Thursday's first round in Chicago ties for the most ever by one school. Alabama had five players in attendance in 2012, with four of them going in the first round.

If that quintet—Bosa, Elliott, linebacker Darron Lee, cornerback Eli Apple and offensive tackle Taylor Decker—all get picked on Thursday, Ohio State would need just one more player chosen in the first round to tie Miami's record of six first-rounders from 2004.

It's quite possible, as wide receiver Michael Thomas is 16th on Miller's final big board and multi-talented Braxton Miller could rise to the first round if some team wants to be daring.

It's almost a guarantee that OSU will have at least 10 players taken, possibly as many as 15 if offensive lineman Chase Farris gets taken along with quarterback Cardale Jones, receiver Jalin Marshall, tight end Nick Vannett, defensive lineman Adolphus Washington, linebacker Joshua Perry and safeties Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell.

The most players taken from one school since 1994—when the draft was reduced to seven rounds—is the 14 Buckeyes picked in the 2004 draft.

UCLA Bruins

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Potential draft picks: 7-9

Likely first-round picks: 1

First off the board (projected): LB Myles Jack

Watching this weekend's NFL draft might feel a bit like a reunion for UCLA fans, since some of the players who could get picked left the program earlier than expected.

That starts at the top with linebacker Myles Jack, who was projected to turn pro after his junior year but ended up doing so in October after suffering a knee injury. Rather than rehab with UCLA—and possibly return to action—Jack opted to withdraw from school and focus on his pro future, a move that Bruins coach Jim Mora wasn't too fond of at the time.

"He’s taking his chips and is shoving them in the middle," Mora said, per Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times. "We hope that he draws a good hand."

Jack wasn't the only potential 2016 draft pick who left UCLA early. Offensive lineman Alex Redmond skipped out on the team just before its bowl game in December. If he gets taken, it will be in the later rounds, while Jack might be the first defensive player chosen on Thursday.

Other UCLA players—all of whom remained with the program through the end of the 2015 season—that figure to have their names called this weekend are running back Paul Perkins, tight end Thomas Duarte, offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch, defensive lineman Kenny Clark, edge-rusher Aaron Wallace and kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn, as could receivers Jordan Payton and Devin Fuller and center Jake Brendel.

USC Trojans

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Potential draft picks: 5-8

Likely first-round picks: None

First off the board (projected): LB Su'a Cravens

USC has produced more NFL draft picks than any other school, which doesn't figure to change after the Trojans have another crop of players chosen this weekend. The only uncertainty is whether they'll become the first school to reach 500 all-time selections and if they'll go without a first-round pick for the third time in four years.

It will depend on where Cravens goes, and the opinions vary. Miller has him as his No. 51 overall prospect, the only USC player in his Top 100, while Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post wrote that Cravens is “under consideration as a potential first-round draft pick.”

USC had two first-round picks (defensive tackle Leonard Williams and receiver Nelson Agholor) last year but went without one in 2013-14. If Cravens were to slip to the third round, it would be the first time since 2002 the Trojans didn't have anyone taken in the first two rounds.

While the top of the draft board isn't littered with ex-USC players, still expect a healthy dose of them to get picked. Quarterback Cody Kessler, center Max Tuerk and cornerback Kevon Seymour should all get drafted, while running back Tre Madden, fullback Soma Vainuku, defensive linemen Antwaun Woods and Delvon Simmons and linebacker Anthony Sarao are also possibilities.

Statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com or Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports, unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.